Swimming in the Ocean

Not too long ago I had the thrill of swimming in the Pacific Ocean. It is something I have wanted to do for years now so when the opportunity finally arose, I eagerly took advantage of it. Mind you, I only splashed around for a short period of time. Still, it was fun and felt good to cross one more item off my personal bucket list. I won't go into much detail as there is not much more to share other than this: swimming in the ocean is a challenge, one much more difficult than being in a swimming pool. In the ocean, one has to contend with strong currents, deep waters, the fact the water is salty, and living creatures that may not always be friendly. In a swimming pool, other than perhaps other people, the resistance is minimal.

Putting aside opportunity, my theory is people are more attracted to swimming pools because they are far easier than oceans. Pools are known and oceans are not. In this sense, such a construct does relate to communication. People seem to much prefer communicating with those with whom they agree than those they do not. Communicating with those on the "same page" is so much easier and, let's be honest, often more enjoyable, then trying to connect with one who does not see things the way we do.  Having to defend our perspective and put together some sort of cogent argument is not nearly as easy as having talk off the cuff and have what we say met with nods and reinforcement.

Perhaps one lesson here is that it is human nature to choose an easier path. Not for a moment will I deny that is not the case with me in many ways. Having said that, however, such a reality is unfortunate. All of us would better serve ourselves and others if we attempted to communicate "in the ocean" rather than in "swimming pools." The harder we work at interacting effectively with others the greater are the chances of our establishing lasting harmony. As a result, all of us need to do far more ocean swimming than we do.